The present invention relates to a wheel suspension system and more particularly to a wheel suspension system that provides independent wheel suspension and optimal shock absorption with a user accessible tension adjustment device.
The field of wheel suspension system taken, for example, within the context of its application to in-line roller skates has experienced a great deal of interest over the past few decades. As the standard four (or five) wheel roller skate, which was used primarily for recreational means in indoor arenas, was adapted to outdoor use for both recreation and as a means of transportation, new design features needed to be adopted to the wheel suspension system. The new application of the wheel suspension system needed to be strong and stable enough to handle the weight and balance of people of varying height and weight as well as able to easily absorb the shocks caused by uneven and rough terrain and small objects or bumps always present on the road or tracks.
In the hopes of improving the quality of the ride, various new suspension systems were designed to improve the shock absorption of in-line roller skates.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,588 issued to Nicoletti on Oct. 6, 1998 discloses a carrier for an in-line roller skate with a removable suspension means to provide variation in the distance between the wheels to increase shock absorption and increase maneuverability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,543 issued to Burns et al on Oct. 20, 1998 discloses a suspension system for an in-line boot with a double pivot mechanism attached to a boot while U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,027 issued to Oyen et al on Sep. 14, 1999 discloses a shock absorption system with a double piston wheel suspension mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,621 issued to Lazarevitch et al on Jan. 6, 1998 discloses a suspension system with C-shaped springs secured to side rails positioned on either side of the wheels.
The limitations of the prior art is that the tension of the shock absorption member of previously available models, if any, has to be professionally adjusted by the manufacturer/retailer. We know that the tension of roller blade wheels has to be altered depending on the degree of expertise of the user of when the latter wishes to increase his speed while gliding in a circular motion as opposed to when he wishes to skate in a straight line. In an attempt to solve this problem some systems are provided with different wheel or tension components for different tension levels. This was both inconvenient for the product user as well incurred an added expense in production. None of the known products provides the ability for the user to easily and quickly adjust the tension of the shock absorption unit of each individual wheel.
A further limitation of known suspension systems is that none of then provides an independent suspension system with a wheel mechanism that allows for as great a displacement when an upward force is applied to the wheel.
It is an object of the present invention is to provide improved independent suspension system for mounting a wheel than what is currently available on the market.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the user with an independent suspension system for mounting a wheel that allows for immediate and simple tension adjustment by the user.
It is still an object of the present invention to provide the user with an independent suspension system for mounting a wheel that has an improved angle of pivotal travel and thus provides an increased shock absorption and a smoother ride.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the user with an independent suspension system for mounting a wheel whose system includes a specially designed truck frame with curvilinear cutouts adapted to receive rearwardly pivoted respective wheel unit.
It is further object of this invention to provide a simple inexpensive system to manufacture and upkeep.
The present invention pertains to an independent suspension system for mounting a wheel to be used for any device mounted on rollers or wheels such as, but not limited to, in-line roller skates and the like recreational equipment designed for rough terrain maneuverability.
The present invention provides a wheel suspension system for mounting on a movable structure, comprising:
a truck for mounting on said movable structure;
a swing arm pivotally connected to said truck for rotation around a horizontal axis between first and second limit positions;
at least one wheel rotatable on said swing arm;
a shock absorbent device biasing said swing arm in said first limit position and including a shock absorber and a guide, said guide having a first end pivotally connected to said truck about an axis parallel to said horizontal axis, said shock absorber mounted substantially coaxially on said guide and having opposite ends abutting said swing arm and a second end of said guide, respectively, said second end of said guide freely moving in a plane perpendicular to said horizontal axis, whereby said shock absorbent device can freely follow rotation of said swing arm between said limit positions by pivoting about said first end of said guide; and
a user accessible tension adjuster for adjusting the tension of said shock absorber.
Preferably, the pivotal travel between the first and second limit positions corresponds to a swing angle varying between fifteen and forty degrees.